Dear Colleagues, 
The Board of Commissioners convened for the Summer 2026 Commission Meeting July 7 through 10 at Cedarbrook Lodge in Seattle. It was a full and consequential meeting, and I am grateful to our Commissioners, staff, peer evaluators, and member institution leaders for their engagement, thoughtful contributions, and continued partnership.
Below are a few highlights from the week.
A New Chapter in Commission Leadership
This meeting marked an important leadership transition. We extend a heartfelt thank you to outgoing Chair Scott Finnie for his dedicated service and leadership to the Commission. I am pleased to welcome incoming Chair Stefani Hicswa and newly elected Vice Chair Boyd Baggett as they begin their new leadership roles. We also formally seated the ten Commissioners elected in the May 2026 elections. I look forward to the energy, expertise, and broad perspectives they will bring to the Commission’s work. I invite you to learn more about our new Commissioners by visiting their biographies on the NWCCU website. Commissioner Directory
Announcing Our New Name
The Commission reached an important milestone at the July meeting: after a thorough and thoughtful process, Commissioners and the Board selected a new name by consensus vote.
Northlight.
We are truly excited about this decision. It reflects the direction our Mission, Vision, and Values point us toward, and strengthens the sense of guidance, clarity, and purpose we aim to offer our member institutions. In time, Northlight will be paired with a formal descriptor reflecting our role and scope.
For many of you, this is the first time you are hearing it directly from us, and we wanted you to have it confirmed before anything else.
Northlight is also a departure, and intentionally so. It may look and sound different from what you’d expect of an accreditor, and we believe that difference reflects who we are becoming.
We are still completing our legal and trademark review, along with the visual identity, messaging, and brand guidelines that will support Northlight’s full introduction to the field. We expect to announce and launch publicly in late October, and until then, we remain NWCCU in name and in all public communication.
We ask for your partnership regarding every aspect of this launch schedule and process. In the meantime, please do not refer to us as Northlight, or share the name publicly, until we make that announcement together. We know this is exciting, and we appreciate you holding it with us a little longer, so that Northlight lands with the full weight this strategic change deserves.
We’re looking forward to that moment, and to sharing more with you very soon.
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Following a year of work by the Strategic Pathways Ad Hoc Committee, informed by member surveys and stakeholder input, the Commission adopted a revised mission, vision, and core values. These statements reflect who we are and where we are headed together.
Our Mission:
Through deep partnership with member institutions, we create conditions for colleges and universities to deliver on commitments made to their students, their communities, and the next generation of learners and leaders.
Our Vision:
To elevate higher education and transform learning.
Our Values:
Students First | Partnership | Continuous Improvement | Public Trust
Institutional Actions from the July 2026 Meeting
The Commission reviewed comprehensive evaluations, mid-cycle reports, ad hoc reports, financial resources reviews, eligibility reviews, and special reports across a broad range of member institutions. A summary of actions from the July 2026 Commission Meeting is available on the NWCCU website. Recent Commission Actions
Updated Standards Advancing to a Membership Vote
The Commission approved the updates to Eligibility Requirements and Standards for Accreditation for advancement to a membership vote, with phased implementation beginning January 2027. This milestone is the culmination of a multi-year process that included institutional and evaluator surveys, listening sessions, public comment periods, and three successive drafts. The membership vote is now open, with ballots due August 21. Institutions with 2027 reports and visits will have the option to respond to either the 2020 Standards or the updated Standards. For questions, please contact Executive Vice President, Ed Harri, at eharri@nwccu.org. Standards Revision
Transition to an Eight-Year Accreditation Cycle
The Commission approved a transition from a seven-year to an eight-year accreditation evaluation cycle, beginning with eligible institutions in Spring 2027. The revised cycle is designed to give institutions more meaningful time to demonstrate improvement between reviews, while supporting greater capacity for staff and commissioners. There will be no changes to the Fall 2026 visit schedule. We will share full implementation details in the coming months.
FY 2026-27 Budget
The Commission accepted the FY 2026-27 Operating Budget. Key investments include staffing, finance infrastructure, and expanded Commission activities. Most importantly, there will not be a dues or fee increase for FY 2026-27. We are pleased to share that future increases to membership dues or accreditation fees will be communicated a year in advance of implementation, to support institutional planning and transparency.
New NWCCU Senior Vice President
We are delighted to share that Lindsay Couzens, Ph.D., will be joining NWCCU as Senior Vice President, effective September 8. In this role, Lindsay will serve as a staff liaison to support our institutions in their accreditation activities and contribute to the policies and practices that drive our accreditation and evaluation work.
Lindsay brings extensive experience to this role. As Associate Vice Provost for Academic Effectiveness at UNLV, she oversaw the institution’s accreditation and academic assessment efforts and served as UNLV’s Accreditation Liaison Officer to NWCCU. For the past several months, Lindsay has served as Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs for the Nevada System of Higher Education. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Educational Psychology, as well as a B.S. in Early Childhood Education, from UNLV.
She has also served as an NWCCU peer evaluator since 2016, chairing numerous EIE and Mid-Cycle site visits, and she has contributed as a New Evaluator Training Facilitator and as a member of our Mission Fulfillment Fellowship. Lindsay’s combination of institutional and NWCCU experience will serve NWCCU and our member institutions well.
Annual Conference
If you have not already, please consider submitting a nomination for the 2026 Beacon Award for Excellence in Student Achievement and Success. Through this award, we seek to recognize and celebrate innovative programs and institutional achievements that advance student success across our member institutions. Nominations are still being accepted in three categories: institutions with fewer than 2,000 students; 2,000–6,000 students; and more than 6,000 students. The nomination deadline has been extended to September 4.
The Call for Poster Session Proposals is now open! New for NWCCU’s 2026 Annual Conference: Tuesday evening, December 1, will feature a poster session highlighting institutional excellence during the welcome reception. The proposal deadline is August 31.
Register today to join colleagues from across the region for opportunities to learn from peer institutions, national speakers, and NWCCU staff. Additional conference details are available on our website.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or your liaison for support. Wishing you a wonderful remainder of the summer.
Selena M. Grace, PhD
President
